On March 3-6, Marva Craft directed the spring musical “Seven Brides For Seven Brothers,” which was full of love and comedy, and the crowd responded with uproarious cheers and laughter. The last show, a Sunday matinee, was packed full of men, women, children, and teens, who were dressed in their Sunday best. The crowd was interactive with the cast as they danced, sang, and made jokes, by hollering and laughing. The set and props were exceptionally well made, and the costumes truly brought the feeling of living in the 1850’s along the Oregon Trail.

This plot follows, a backwoodsman named Adam Pontipee (sophomore Elijah White) comes into town to search for a bride. After being laughed at by the owners of the town’s general store, he goes out in search of a wife. He comes upon the local tavern where he meets his soon-to-be wife, Milly (senior Morgan Parker). After they wed, they arrive at his cabin in the mountains, where Milly is surprised to learn that Adam has six brothers living with him.

Six clueless, rambunctious, and ill-mannered boys–played by six SHS teenagers–get lessons from Milly on social mores, dancing, and the process of courting a girl. At first, the brothers struggle to make the change from their “mountain man” ways, but soon they learn that they’ll have to listen to Milly if they ever want a wife of their own.

At a social gathering, the boys attempt to put their teachings into action, but after falling for six beautiful girls, tensions rise. Each one of the girls clearly like the brothers, but they are “spoken” for, and their suitors don’t take kindly to the brothers’ pursuits. This led to a fighting scene that got the crowd even more excited, as they clapped and cheered.

Later, winter arrives, with the six younger brothers pining for the girls for whom they had fallen fast and hard. Milly asks Adam to talk to the brothers as she fears they will want to leave due to their longing for the girls. Adam reads his brothers the story of “The Sobbin’ Women” (taken from Plutarch‘s story of the Sabine Women), one of the books Milly brought to the homestead with her. He tells them that they should stop moping around and take whatever action is necessary to claim their women. Aided by Adam, the brothers kidnap the six girls. They have one big problem however: they forgot to bring a preacher to perform the marriages.

All the actors seemed to be having fun with the script. Sophomore Will Craft who played brother Benjamin, said, “I think [the script] is funnier this year.” Kodi MacDonnell, who played brother Daniel, said “as a senior, it’s really exciting, but also sad because I’m leaving.”

Each one of the brothers had their unique characteristics, presented by each actor in their own way. For example, Gideon, played by junior Culley Emborg, was a very literal thinker, extending his arm out all the way when Milly asked instead of putting out his elbow for her to hold while they walked. In contrast, Caleb, played by Spencer Longhurst, was quick witted by stating “Well, I think about girls all the time!” Each brother stepped out of his comfort zone by stripping down and wrapping only a blanket around their waste. Craft explained that, “there’s a real fear of the possibility of your blanket falling off.”

Each of the five shows sold out by the time of performance, leaving only a few bench seats in the back for those who didn’t buy tickets beforehand.